Of Coffee and Kisses
by themockingjayfromgallifrey
Summary: Just your typical gay coffeeshop AU featuring one tragically broken polaroid camera, one hella stressed Photography student, and a punk rock barista with a compulsive need to flirt.
1. Chapter 1

Of Coffee and Kisses

Today was already a mess, and it wasn't even 9am yet.

It all started when Max's ancient alarm clock failed to go off. That's how she came to wake up fifteen minutes before class started with a bad case of bedhead and the worst headache in history. She barely had time to brush her teeth and throw on a clean t-shirt before she was out the door. Then, as she raced down the front steps of the Blackwell Dormitory, she tripped over her own feet and went sprawling onto the sidewalk. Now there were scrapes on the heels of her hands and a tear in her favorite pair of jeans.

 _Fantastic_.

The worst part was that she had been holding her camera- an old Polaroid that her parents had given her last year- and it flew out of her hand. Max definitely heard a crunch as it hit the pavement. Shit, was it broken? That old hunk of junk was her only decent camera _. What use is a wannabe photographer without a camera?_

And the real cherry on top was hearing the click of a shutter as she lay sprawled on the sidewalk. The familiar snide voice of Victoria Chase sounded in her ear. "Taking a nap, Max? Or are you so lame that you can't make it down the stairs without falling on your ass?"

Max picked herself up quickly, turning to face the queen bee of Blackwell. Victoria always seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever Max was making an ass out of herself. She had a gift. "Whatever, Victoria," Max muttered. "I don't have time for this today."

Victoria only smirked as she leaned against the railing, examining the screen of her five hundred dollar canon. "Ooh, this is a nice picture of you Max. Everyone should get to see it. In fact, I think I'll post in on my wall right now."

She turned to go. _Good,_ thought Max, but before she had a chance to breathe Victoria turned around again. "Oh, and I think your little Polaroid is broken. Sadface." A little smirk appeared on the corner of her mouth. "At least you're not stuck in the retro zone anymore."

"Please piss off."

Victoria disappeared inside the building, much to Max's relief. She jogged over to her polaroid, scooping it up. The casing was cracked. Badly. Max held it up and tried to take a picture, but the shutter was jammed. Flipping the camera around to examine the front side, she discovered that the lens was cracked as well.

There was no salvaging it. Max heaved a sigh, tucking the broken camera into her bag. Where would she get another Polaroid? It wasn't exactly like they made them anymore. Max supposed she could always get a digital camera, but she liked the vibe that the instant film gave her pictures. Besides, it was nice to not have to wait to print them out. Letting out another sigh, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

The blinking screen read 8:59. Shit. Class started in a minute. And there was no way she would be able to deal with this particular morning without coffee. _Fuck it_ , she thought _, I can be a little late. Or a lot late. Jefferson can deal._

She headed off campus and down Avery Street. Max was headed for her favorite little coffee place, the Two Whales. Starbucks was a little closer, but she didn't mind the walk. Besides, Starbucks was too corporate. Max liked the feel of the small, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that she had started spending more and more time in. _Okay, so maybe I'm kind of a hipster. Sue me._

Max took a breath, looking up at the cloudy sky. The day matched her mood perfectly. The morning was just on the wrong side of chilly, and she found herself wishing that she had grabbed her jacket. She tucked her bare arms to her chest and began to walk faster down the street. The sooner she got inside, the better. Max hurried down the sidewalk, taking care not to bump into a jogger going the opposite direction.

Suddenly, a flash of color caught her eye.

The red and gold branches of a tall oak stood out against the grey sky. Some kid's bright blue kite was tangled in the branches, shimmering translucently even in the grey light. Max stopped in her tracks, despite the cold. A photographer never passed up the opportunity for a good photo op. She automatically reached for her camera before remembering the events of the morning. _Shit. I totally forgot._ Max's hand paused before she settled on taking a picture with her phone.

None of the shots she snapped were very good. She had become too used to her Polaroid. _Now_ that _is disappointing. What a waste._

Max continued on her way. She definitely needed a little coffee to help her through the rest of what was promising to be a shitty day. Soon, the Two Whales came into sight. Max jogged the short distance to the door, pushing it open. A small jingle signaled her arrival, but the shop seemed to be deserted. Max let warmth slowly seep into her skin as she pulled her bag over her head.

"Hello?" she called. "Anyone here?"

"Just a second!" The voice came from a back room. Max raised her eyebrows. That definitely didn't sound like Joyce.

She let her bag rest on the counter, scanning the chalkboard menu. Honestly, she didn't even need to bother anymore. No matter how long she looked at the menu, Max usually ended up ordering the same thing. A Caramel Latte with extra whipped cream. At the rate that she guzzled those, Max honestly wouldn't be surprised if she developed type II diabetes by the end of the year. A smile tugged up the corner of her mouth as she thought of her what her mom would say if she knew about all the caffeine Max had been consuming over the past few months.

Suddenly a girl emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a rag. She was tall and thin, with bright blue hair and a frown on her face. Her white tank top read YES HOMO in rainbow caps, and a tattoo snaked its way down the full length of her right arm. "Sorry about that," she said, grabbing a black apron and slipping it over her head. "The fucking cappuccino machine jammed up again. That's the third time in two days."

 _Holy shit._ Max swallowed. She knew she was staring, but she just couldn't help herself. "It's, um, fine."

As the girl threw the towel onto the counter, Max squinted at her nametag- one of those red and white stickers that said "My Name Is _". _Chloe_ was messily scrawled across the blank space.

"So, what can I get-," Chloe cut off, finally raising her head to look at Max. She stared for a moment before a grin stretched across her face. "Oh. Hi there."

"Um. Hi." Max tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly conscious of how rumpled she must look this morning. "Could I get… um…"

She stared at the menu again without really seeing it. She was hyperaware of Chloe's gaze looking her up and down. Max hoped her face wasn't turning red. Thirty seconds went by, and still she wasn't able to focus on what she wanted.

Max licked her lips. "Um, coffee. I'd like coffee please." _Oh my god, Max. That was so lame._

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "That's hella vague. Do you have anything specific in mind?"

 _Hella?_ Max thought, amused. _Who says that?_ She tried to order her usual, but for some reason the words wouldn't come out. What she said instead was, "Surprise me."

"Sure thing." Chloe reached under the counter and grabbed a to-go cup. Stepping up to one of the shiny silver machines, Chloe got to work. The thing looked so complicated, and Max still had no idea how it worked. _I guess I'll just chalk it up to magic._

"So…" Max begun awkwardly. She really wanted to talk to this girl, but she had always been sort of a mess when it came to conversation. _Just say the first thing that comes to mind_. "I haven't seen you around before. Where's Joyce?"

Chloe snorted. "Hanging with my step-douche, probably. She broke her ankle last week, so she asked me to run the shop while she's recovering. And I wouldn't have earned any daughter points by making my crippled mother run the shop with a broken ankle." She gestured broadly around the empty shop. "So, here I am."

"Wowsers." Then this was just a temporary thing. Max found herself feeling a little disappointed.

Chloe punched a few buttons on the espresso machine and leaned against the counter. Her brow furrowed when nothing happened. Cursing under her breath, she hit her fist hard against the side of the machine. A large cloud of steam filled the room as it spluttered to life. "There we go."

Max stared up at the steam. Was that supposed to happen? She had a feeling that it wasn't.

Chloe spoke again, interrupting the silence that had just started to settle around them. "I haven't seen _you_ around before, either. Trust me, I would remember." Chloe grinned, making Max's cheeks go red. Oh my god, was the hot, punk-rock barista really flirting with her? The flush crept from her face to her neck, making her freckles stand out against the pink skin.

"Y-yeah, I'm, um, usually in class by now," Max mcanaged to stammer out. "Decided to ditch today. I needed the caffeine too much."

"You go to Blackhell?"

Max nodded.

"Figures. That place is on a whole 'nother level when it comes to producing hella hipster assholes." Chloe suddenly looked up. "Not that you're an asshole. That's not what I-,"

"It's fine," Max said, smiling. "I know what you mean. I actually can't stand some of the people there. They've just got this elitist aura that totally kills my creative vibes."

Chloe snorted. "What a hippie. So you're an artist?"

"Kind of. I take pictures."

"Ooh la la, a photographer." Chloe waggled her eyebrows and rolled her shoulder in a circle. What a total dork. "Wanna take my picture?"

"What?" Max asked.

"Snap a pic. Blue-haired punk and a shitty, hipster café. Not a half-bad shot. Besides, it'll give you something to remember me by."

Max sighed. Now that Chloe mentioned it, that really would be a great shot. "I wish. I dropped my camera like an idiot this morning." She pulled the cracked Polaroid out of her bag, setting it on the counter so Chloe could see it. The crack had gotten even bigger, which was probably the result of all the walking she had done.

Chloe took a closer look, whistling. "Wow, you really fucked it up, didn't you?"

Max nodded glumly.

They stood in silence for a moment, just staring down at the broken camera. Chloe furrowed her brow, thinking. Suddenly, she looked up at Max with shining eyes. "Hey, I've got an old polaroid lying around somewhere. It should still be in pretty good condition. Why don't you take it?"

"What? No, I couldn't!"

"Sure you can, hippie. S'not like I use it, anyway. My dad would be happy to know it was going to good use." Chloe leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter. Her face was closer to Max's now. "Besides, now you have a reason to come back and see me."

Max blushed. She had already been planning on coming back tomorrow, though it's not like she was going to admit it to the barista. "Alright," she heard herself saying. "Sure. Sounds great."

The timer went off on the silver coffee machine. Chloe filled the cup with coffee, fitting the lid onto it tightly. Then, she picked up a sharpie. "Name?" she asked with a grin.

How had she forgotten to mention her name? "Max," she said, opening her wallet. Chloe scribbled it onto the coffee cup. "How much do I owe you?"

Chloe pushed the coffee into her hands. "Don't worry about it, Max attack. On the house."

 _Wowsers, she already came up with a nickname?_ Max tilted her head up to look into the punk's eyes, somewhat nonplussed. "You can't just go around giving free stuff to every cute girl that comes in here, you know."

"Oh, trust me," Chloe smirked, "I don't."

That had Max blushing again, and damnit, she wished she wasn't so pale. It looked like someone had splattered splotchy magenta paint all over her skin. "Well, um, thanks." She turned and headed out of the café, passing someone who had just walked in. It was the jogger that she had seen earlier. She smiled a hello, tossing a look over her shoulder. The new customer was standing at the counter, talking, but Chloe's eyes were locked onto Max.

The photographer smiled tentatively, earning a returning grin from Chloe. It wasn't until Max was outside that she glanced down at the coffee in her hand. If it was possible, even more heat rose to her face. She was glad that Chloe couldn't see the violent shade of pink that she was turning. Scrawled across the side of the cup in a messy script was Chloe's name and what was presumably her cell phone number.

 _So that happened,_ Max thought dizzily. She made her way up the sidewalk, smiling to herself. _I guess today didn't start off so bad after all._

Not even the detention she got from Mr. Jefferson was able to remove the warmth that Chloe's grin had left in the pit of her stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Come on_ , Max, it's just a text," Kate said, sitting on Max's bed with her knees tucked against her chest. She leaned against the wall cautiously, taking special care not to mess up the years' worth of photos that had been tacked up. "What are you so worried about?"

Max's gaze fall once again to the phone clutched in her sweaty palm. "It's just… I don't want her to think I'm lame, or something."

"Pretty sure it's too late for that," the quiet girl replied with a glint in her eye. Max had told Kate all about her encounter with Chloe during dinner. That had been her first mistake. Of course, the teasing had been absolutely relentless since then. Her second mistake had been letting Kate know that she had somehow, miraculously been able to _obtain the number_ of "beautiful blue-nette barista." The moment that her friend's eyes lit up with a gleeful, disturbing delight, Max knew there would be no way to wriggle her way out of texting Chloe now.

"I get it, Kate, I'm hopeless when it comes to stuff like this. It's not exactly like they teach Flirting 101 at Blackwell." Max slumped into her desk chair. _Why did my parents give me such awful social skills? I'm going to have to have a serious talk with them later._

"I _mean_ ," Kate corrected herself, "She liked you before just fine, and I'm sure you were your totally nerdy self. And look what happened!" Kate motioned toward Max's phone, a grin plastered across her face. "You got her number!"

"Dork," Max replied grumpily, though it was hard to resist Kate's optimism. Her thumbs hovered over the letters for a few moments before she pulled them away. "Ugh! I'm being such a baby about this." Max turned to Kate, who was trying and failing to hide her laugher. The photographer immediately flushed, determinedly turning back to her phone screen. "Alright! I'll just do it." _Get over yourself, Max. Just say something to her._

Max typed and deleted a few texts before finally settling on:

 _[Sent 7:44pm] Heya, Chloe. It's Max. It was cool meeting you today. :)_

That's good, Max thought. _Gotta be casual._ Her phone buzzed only a few seconds later. Max glanced at Kate, who grinned. "That was fast. Must have been waiting for you to text her." Max blushed, opening the text.

 _[Received 7:44pm] Hell yea it was. Wanna come in tomorrow morning to pick up that camera?_

She typed out a reply, tongue trapped between her teeth as her thumbs clicked away at the keys.

 _[Sent 7:46pm] I can't :( Got class. Jefferson will kill me if I keep skipping. How about Saturday? :) :) :)_

Today was Wednesday. That would make it three days until she saw Chloe. Max set her phone down on the desk next to her. This reply took longer than the other one had. Max cut off in the middle of her sentence the moment she heard the buzz and dove for the phone, ignoring Kate's snort.

 _[Received 7:53pm] cant wait. shop closes early on Saturday. wanna chill afterwards? x_

Excitement bubbled in Max's chest. She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. Max held up the screen so Kate could see, and she bounced up and down on the bed, hitting Max's arm excitedly. God, they were such teenagers. Max would probably be ashamed under different circumstances.

 _[Sent 7:56pm] absolutely! See you then :) :) :)_

 _[Received 7:57pm] max, no emoji_

 _[Sent 7:57pm] :(_

 _[Received 7:59pm] NO EMOJI, MAX FACTOR_

Max grinned down at her phone. Hilarious.

 _[Sent 8:02pm] see you Saturday ;)_

She set her phone down, unable to wipe the smile from her face as she shot a look at Kate. The weekend couldn't come fast enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Max hoisted her bag higher onto her shoulder as she jogged through the parking lot of the Two Whales. It was an odd sort of Saturday morning. Heavy clouds rolled across the sky, dampening the sunlight, yet when Max looked out over the ocean a clear patch of blue shone in the distance. Mist rose off the water, making the air uncomfortably warm and muggy.

She combed a hand through her hair, embarrassingly aware of how the humidity made it frizz. She had never been this nervous before. Not even at her date with Warren at the drive in a few months ago (which was equal parts fun and awkward but never went anywhere), or when she had received her acceptance letter from Blackwell in the mail, or even on her first day of class when she walked into the classroom feeling awkwardly out of place in her generic t-shirt and jeans amidst a sea of Prada.

No, this was a thousand times worse. The butterflies she was experiencing were unreal.

They had been texting on and off for the past week, and the fact that Chloe was so cute and charming almost made it worse. Sure, the girl had her bad moments, but for the most part they seemed to get along pretty well. Max wondered what the day would bring.

She hesitated outside the door, peering through the glass. It was a little after one, and Chloe had already flipped the sign to read 'CLOSED'. Max squinted at the counter, which seemed to be empty. She pushed open the door.

The jingle of the bell signaled her arrival, and Chloe popped out of the back room.

"Max!" she grinned. _She looks nice today_ , Max thought with a blush. Chloe's hair was a little mussed but otherwise tucked under a navy blue beanie. Apparently today had been the day to go all-out punk, because she was wearing a skull tank top, black jeans, tall Doc Martens, and perfect winged eyeliner. Her wrist was ringed with spiked bracelets.

Something about it made her all tingly.

"Someone decided to rage against the machine today," Max said with a grin.

"You like?" Chloe asked. She did a little spin. "We gotta show 'em who's boss, Spider Max. It's time the fat cats had a heart attack."

Max rolled her eyes. "That song is so 2009," she said, but despite herself she had to grin. Of course Chloe listened to Muse. Why was she not surprised?

Chloe snorted as she reached behind the counter. "Please. You wish you were as cool as 2009 was." Her face disappeared as she rummaged around. Max watched her for a few moments, unsure of what to do with herself, and was about to take a step forward when Chloe emerged from the counter almost violently.

"Damn it," she muttered to herself, casting her eyes around the shop. "Where did I put that goddamn camera?"

"Back here," called a voice that Max didn't recognize. A girl emerged from the back room, and for a moment Max couldn't move. She imagined that this feeling was similar to the paralysis you felt when meeting a celebrity. The girl was gorgeous. Her long blonde hair fell to her waist, and a blue feather dangled from her left ear. Unlike Chloe, she had an apron tied around her waist. She also held a Polaroid camera in her hands. "You must be Max. Huh, yeah, I see what Chloe meant when she said cute. I've heard _so much_ about-,"

"Thanks, Rachel," Chloe said, glaring. She took the camera and tried to guide Rachel into the back room again but was deftly dodged.

Rachel leaned against the counter. "Aren't you going to introduce me, Clo?" Her eyes ran up and down Max, and an amused glitter sparkled in her eyes.

There was silence for a few seconds. Chloe was obviously uncomfortable, glaring at Rachel pointedly while the girl pretended not to notice. Max shifted from foot to foot, looking between the two awkwardly. She tried to push down the jealousy that rose up in her throat. The familiarity between these two was obvious. And wowsers, Rachel was so damn beautiful. How was she supposed to compete with that?

Chloe finally lost the silent battle. With a huff, she set the polaroid on the counter. "Max, this is Rachel, my best friend and biggest headache. She's also been helping out around the shop. Rachel, Max."

"Oh, I think I know who Max is by now. The amount of times you've stalked her Facebook is-,"

"I think that's enough!" Chloe interrupted, but by this time Max was well and truly blushing. The blue haired girl quickly grabbed the polaroid and, taking Max by the shoulders, led her out of the café.

"See you later, lovebirds!"

"Asshole," Chloe muttered under her breath. "I swear I put that camera behind the counter, that little thief…" She looked flustered. Instead of watching where she was walking, Max stared up at her as she was steered through the door, fascinated with the way a pink flush spread across Chloe's nose and cheeks. The girl's eyes flicked down to hers, and the blush deepened.

Max's converse suddenly caught on a gap in the sidewalk. She stumbled, and would have fallen if not for the pair of hands that caught her by the arm.

"Oh, fuck! Careful there." Max clutched at the girls hand and managed to regain her balance. _Wonderful_ , she thought _, It's been a whole three minutes and I've already managed to look like an idiot._ But when she looked into Chloe's eyes, she saw nothing but amusement.

"Thanks. Sorry."

"No problem. Don't want you joining my mom on crutches."

Max snorted. "I'm nothing if not graceful."

"Hey, you've got other things that make up for it," Chloe grinned. They were standing very close, and Chloe's hand still had a grip on Max's arm. She seemed to realize this suddenly, and squeezed before she let go. Max's heart beat fast in her chest. It took some effort to keep her breathing normal.

"Do I?"

Chloe's grin was blinding. "Should have thought that was obvious." She seemed to suddenly realize she was still holding the camera, and pushed it into Max's hands. It took her a moment to realize was happening. Her fingers closed over smooth plastic and warm fingers. Chloe's nails were coated with chipped blue nail polish, and they were long and slim. She lingered a bit longer than was strictly necessary before tucking the camera away in her bag.

"Thanks." Max smiled up at her. "You really saved my ass. I'm stupidly handicapped without a polaroid."

"It was my dad's. My real dad," Chloe added absently. "And hey, if it scores me a date with a cute chick, then no problem." The girl returned her embarrassed smile with a wink.

Max couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Chloe's father, but she decided to save that question for another time. _'Why isn't your dad still around?'_ wasn't exactly a first date appropriate question.

"Speaking of, you ready to go?" Chloe asked.

"More than ready. Lead the way, Captain."

A passing dog barked at them from the other side of the street as they made their way to Chloe's truck. The cloud cover had gotten darker even in the few minutes Max had been in the café, and she glanced worriedly up at the sky as they crossed the parking lot. Her hopes that the rain would hold out were dashed as a few fat droplets landed on the pavement in front of her. They broke into a jog, then into a run as a drizzle started, and both were damp by the time they clambered into the cab of Chloe's truck.

"So much for that romantic walk on the beach, huh Max?" Chloe's voice was disappointed, but when Max glanced over at her face she saw the girl was grinning.

Max returned the girl's smile with a tentative one of her own. The smile grew as she examined Chloe's face more carefully. "Oh my god." She let out a huff of laughter. "Look at your eyeliner!"

The punk's nose wrinkled as she flipped down the visor mirror and peered at herself carefully. The raindrops had run down Chloe's forehead and into her eyes, smudging the perfect wings and tracking black streaks down her cheeks.

"Fuck." Chloe stared a moment before flipping the mirror closed a little more violently than necessary. "That's what I get for buying the cheap stuff."

"Hold on a second." Trying and failing to suppress her giggles, Max reached into her bag and pulled out a pack of makeup wipes after a moment of searching. She handed them over a little reluctantly, wanting to savor the moment for a little longer. Chloe was so damn cute!

The punk accepted them with a grumbled thanks. She began to violently scrub at her eyes, only succeeding in smearing the makeup. Max quickly seized the wipe from her hand.

"Stop, you're- here, let me." She leaned in her seat, placing one hand on Chloe's chin to steady her head while she used the other to gently wipe her face.

"So much for being sexy and mysterious," Chloe quipped. She scrunched her nose as Max moved on to the other eye.

Max laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, you're still halfway there." The corner of Chloe's mouth quirked. "You're lucky I had these with me," she continued. "Dana- she's a friend at Blackwell- is throwing a Halloween Bash next week. These are for after the party."

"What are you going as? Sexy pirate? Sexy nurse? Sexy nun?"

Max snorted and rolled her eyes simultaneously. "What a stunning variety of choices. Actually, I _was_ going to go as a pirate. Mascara-beard and all." She pulled another makeup wipe from the plastic bag, and went over Chloe's face one last time. "There we go. Good as new."

"Thanks for cleaning my face, mom."

Max's hand still rested on Chloe's chin, and she her witty retort got stuck in her throat as she met Chloe's eyes. They were close, too close, and to an outside observer it would look as if they were about to kiss. The makeup wipe dropped to the floor.

Chloe's gaze dropped to her lips, then back up to her eyes, and Max was frozen in place. What should she do? Max had never so much as kissed anybody besides Warren, and that fuzzy, slightly awkward feeling she had gotten when their lips had met was nothing compared to the electricity she was feeling now. They remained like that for a few more seconds, neither one of them daring to move before a knock at the driver's window made them jolt apart.

It was Rachel, a knowing smirk firmly in place. She held an umbrella in one hand and Chloe's wallet in the other. "Forget something?" she said, her voice muffled through the glass.

They were both obviously flushed. Chloe cranked down the window and grabbed the wallet with a muttered, "Thanks." Rachel just winked before sauntering toward what Max guessed was her own car- a white Mini Cooper.

Chloe cleared her throat, and just like that the moment had passed. "So… wanna get some coffee?"

"You're not serious."

"Why not?"

Max laughed. "Because you work in a coffee shop, dork. Aren't you a little tired of coffee by now?"

"I guess so," Chloe said. She twisted the key in the ignition, and the truck's engine turned over a few times before rumbling to life. Chloe looked pleased. "Huh. That usually takes a few tries."

"Must be my good ol' luck of the Irish," teased Max.

"Well maybe I should drive you around more often, then." Chloe grinned, reaching toward Max. She froze, but Chloe simply opened the glove compartment and pulled out a box of CDs. She set them in Max's lap. "Dealer's choice."

Max flipped through them and was somewhat surprised. As she had expected, there was a Muse album, along with a lot of other punk rock music, but there was also some indie stuff in there too. Her fingers hesitated on a Syd Matters album before holding it up for Chloe to see.

"If I didn't know you were a hipster before, it has been confirmed now," Chloe grinned.

"Pot, meet Kettle. You'd be on the _cover_ of hipster girl magazine." Max tried to push the CD into the player, but it got jammed on something.

"Here, let me." Chloe took out the CD, slammed the radio with her fist, and tried again. Miraculously, the CD slid in and began to play. Max couldn't help but grin.

"Wow. Way to go, Hulk."

"Chloe want music. Chloe _smash_!"

They were both still laughing as she pulled out of the parking lot.


End file.
